Tips for Planning Your Next Meeting at Madden’s Resort
Madden’s is Minnesota’s preferred meeting destination. As the 53rd Best Resort in the World and the Top 10 Resort in the Midwest, we are confident your stay with us will be more than special, it will be memorable. We decided to tap the knowledge of our sales team to share recommendations with you when planning your next meeting.
Can Madden’s on Gull Lake accommodate a group of my size?
Madden’s Resort has 42,000 square feet of meeting space – 32 rooms to be exact! Groups of 4-800 will be comfortably accommodated in Madden’s meeting facilities. And don’t forget…we have 1000 acres of breakout space!
Take a virtual tour of our resort here!
What makes planning a meeting at Madden’s so special?
Madden’s has dedicated professional conference planning managers, customized meeting packages, team-building programs, and a business center to suit all of your needs. The staff at Madden’s is dedicated to making sure you and your group are taken care of from the time you arrive to the time you leave.
What are some important things to keep in mind when planning a meeting?
Have objectives
Figure out what the purpose of your meeting is and what are you hoping to achieve. This will help you and your meeting planner avoid any frustrations during the process.
Have a general understanding of a contract
It’s important to fully understand the details of a contract before you sign on the dotted line. A meeting contract typically includes a cancellation clause, so note those specifics and make sure it works for your planning needs before you sign.
Dates
Have a few dates in mind before you start planning. The more flexibility you have with dates, the easier it will be securing a date that works for you and the venue.
Budget
Be aware of what is most important to you. If it’s your budget, then you may have to be more flexible when it comes to dates. A budget outline will also help when looking to plan for specific elements needed for your event such as food and audio/visual equipment.
Venue
Know what you want and need in a venue to make your meeting successful. Items like space, location, and desired amenities are important to be aware of.
Agenda
An agenda is an important tool to have when executing your meeting. An agenda helps your attendees know who, what, where, and when things are happening.
Madden’s staff knows how important it is, and will work closely with you to plan out the time and locations of the meetings with a map to distribute .
Registration
It’s important to understand how you want your attendees to register and when they need to register by. Knowing how many people are attending will help when planning for food, activities and when outlining your budget. You can plan to handle registration yourself or a Madden’s staff member will setup the registration for you.
AV needs
Be aware ahead of time if you will have any AV needs. This will help the meeting staff plan accordingly. Madden’s has an in-house conference services team to handle most AV needs. If you plan to contract with an outside vendor , be sure to allow for enough time any logistics they will need to be aware of when working at a venue they are not familiar with.
What makes Madden’s a unique destination for meetings?
Madden’s up-north location on a peninsula in Gull Lake brings unique opportunities for team building activities on the resort and in the surrounding area. When you have long days of meetings planned, it’s important to plan for networking opportunities outside the meeting space to allow your group to bond and let loose. Madden’s in-house recreation director can help plan and manage your team building events from start to finish.
Activities include:
- A golf tournament
- Madden Olympics (including Croquet, Tennis, & Lawnbowling)
- Guided Open Water or Fly Fishing trip
- Trap Shooting
- Horseback Riding
- Mountain Biking at Cuyuna Range Mountain Bike Trails
- Kayaking or canoeing
- Waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing
- An afternoon Teambuilding Program, choreographed by our Recreation Director
- Zip Line tour at Mount Ski Gull
For more information on meeting space or to plan your next meeting, contact our team at [email protected]
